Food for thought.......
Travel ball – as many know firsthand, especially the higher levels you play can become a vicious place for girls where their self-esteem is tested on a daily basis. Where every girl is disposable, and where the hiring of ‘big guns’ that will sit the regular players is always a possibility. I wonder how 9, 10 or even 11-year-old girls endure the kind of stress of knowing that they can and will be replaced should someone better come along and still end up loving the game. Honestly, I also wonder what the big rush is.
While I think it would be a lot of fun to take a team to compete in a world series – I don’t think the measure of success resorts back to one singular tournament. And on a more realistic note – at the end of the day, at the end of the season, at the end of the child’s travel career – when they will start college, how many of these girls are really going to make it on softball? The answer! Not. Very. Many.
First, there just aren’t many full rides for a softball player. If you are looking for an athletic scholarship for your daughter you’d better get them interested in golf or tennis. Secondly, as of right now – most of the 1997 and 1998 girls that have college potential have already been looked at through fancy recruiting and showcase tournaments. And the lists of potential girls are massive! We are talking thousands upon thousands upon thousands of girls looking to be recruited. Do these kids really know what they want in life when they are sophomores or juniors in high school? And can’t a lot certainly change between the ages of 15 and 20.
The truth is that the talent pool in softball today greatly outweighs the recruiting potential.
This is just one reason why parents push their girls to play on feeder and high-end travel teams because the chance of exposure is greater. But these programs can be brutal to the self-esteem and playing longevity of the girls on the team. Not to mention costs. Sure, your child is getting to go up against the ‘best’ competition found between the foul lines. But what realistically speaking – are her chances of getting recruited? Do you risk burning your daughter out before she is 15 just to see that she makes a premiere, select or A-Gold team? Are you doing it for your child? To make them the best they can be? Or are you doing it for yourself or some status quo? To come home and say you played with such and such team, and won?
Not that there is anything wrong with feeling pride and devotion toward a team – and going all the way. It is an accomplishment to be proud of indeed – and a learning experience like no other.